31st Congressional District candidates weigh in on border crisis

The crisis involving tens of thousands of migrant young people and mothers with children from Central America crossing over the border into the United States has provided a source of widely differing views among the candidates running for the 31st Congressional District in November.

The Republican and Democratic candidates for the district, which covers San Bernardino, Rancho Cucamonga, Rialto, Redlands, Grand Terrace, Highland and Mentone, shared viewpoints that echoed the perspectives of their respective parties on the issue.

The issue is of importance to voters in the district where a number of immigration reform supporters and immigrant amnesty opponents have held opposing demonstrations in front of current district Rep. Gary Miller’s Rancho Cucamonga office, in the past year over the matter.

Democratic candidate Redlands Mayor Pete Aguilar voiced his support for the Obama administration’s $3.7 billion request from Congress to help stem the crisis.

“It’s time for Congress to put politics aside and to work in good faith to pass comprehensive immigration reform,” Aguilar said. “Specifically, I think we need to ensure every child receives the due process under the law that they are entitled. The president’s budget supplemental (request) does just that. The supplemental would increase the number of judges and lawyers to ensure every child receives a due process hearing under the current law.”

Rancho Cucamonga businessman Paul Chabot, the Republican candidate in the 31st, said the crisis represents a failure of the Obama administration to secure the border and that the funding request does not address the core problem of border security.

Chabot said he didn’t fault the young people who have come here and blamed what he called a failed immigration policy.

“We need to expedite their return home to their parents immediately and those with legitimate refugee status must be expedited to our judicial system,” Chabot said.

Chabot said the United States needs to implement better physical structures and law enforcement personnel along the border to prevent more migrants from coming.

“I’m very concerned with the increased worldwide terrorism and that the ability that children can basically walk across this border, certainly shows that our border is not secure,” he said.

Experts say the issue is bound to be important here because immigration has been a major issue for voters in the region.

“This issue will definitely come up in every congressional campaign, particularly in Southern California,” said Jack Pitney, a political science professor and prominent policy commentator at Claremont McKenna College. “It’s a tricky issue because many Hispanic voters might oppose the rapid deportation of the migrants. Conversely, a lot of other voters want to send them back as soon as possible.”

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Pitney said that, in talking about the issue, any smart candidate would understand the importance of careful language showing both compassion and commitment to the rule of law.

“Just simply saying ‘ship them back’ can sound pretty cold, so emphasizing family reunification is a better way to frame it.” Pitney said.

Douglas Johnson, research fellow at the Rose Institute of State and Local Government, said the crisis represents a major policy issue with clear implications for the region.

“They’re bringing these kids and releasing them into the Inland Empire, in addition to many other places,” Johnson said. “Certainly a lot of them will end up in the Inland Empire.”